Johannes F. Linn

Johannes Linn is a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution, Distinguished Resident Scholar of the Emerging Markets Forum, and Senior Advisor at the Results for Development Institute (R4D).

Mr. Linn received his training as an economist at Oxford University, England (BA, 1968), and at Cornell University, USA (PhD, 1973). He joined the World Bank in 1973, where for nine years he worked in the Bank’s research wing on issues of urban development policy. Based on his research, he published two books: Cities in Developing World: Policies for Their Equitable and Efficient Growth (Oxford University Press, 1983) and (with Roy Bahl) Urban Public Finance in Developing Countries (Oxford University Press, 1992). Subsequently he served as country economist and economic advisor in the Bank’s East Asia Regional Staff. In 1988, he published, with Amarendra Bhattacharya, a study entitled “Trade and Industrial Policy in the Developing Countries of East Asia” (World Bank Discussion Paper No. 27). In 1987/88, Mr. Linn was Staff Director of World Development Report 1988 (Oxford University Press, 1988), which dealt principally with issues of public finance in development. Between 1988 and 1991, he served as Senior Economic Advisor in the Bank’s Development Economics Staff, as the Director of its International Economics Department and as Director of its Country Economics Department.

In 1991, Mr. Linn was appointed the World Bank’s Vice President for Financial Policy and Resource Mobilization, in charge of overall financial policies and prudential management of the World Bank (IBRD and IDA) and of mobilizing capital resources for IBRD as well as donor resources for IDA and for the Global Environment Facility (GEF). From January 1996 through September 2003, Mr. Linn served as the Bank’s Vice President for Europe and Central Asia (ECA). A collection of his speeches was published under the title Transition Years--Reflections on Economic Reform and Social Change in Europe and Central Asia (World Bank, 2004).

From September 2003 to June 2005, Mr. Linn was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. During 2004-5 Mr. Linn also served as Project Leader and Lead Author for the Central Asia Human Development Report (UNDP, 2005). From July 2005 to June 2010, Mr. Linn was Director of the Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings. Since July 2010, Mr. Linn is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at Brookings. In 2011 and 2014 he served as Chair of the 9th and 10th Replenishment Consultations of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Mr. Linn’s current research interests and recent publications are in the areas of development effectiveness (with a special focus on scaling up successful development interventions), global governance reform, urbanization, and regional cooperation (with a special focus on Central Asia). He co-edited and contributed to various recent books, including: Global Governance Reform: Breaking the Stalemate (Brookings, 2007), Central Asia and the Caucasus: At the Crossroads of Eurasia in the 21st Century (Sage, 2011), Getting to Scale: How to Bring Development Solutions to Millions of Poor People (Brookings Press 2013), Financing Metropolitan Governments in Developing Countries (Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, 2013), Kazakhstan 2050: Toward a Modern Society for All (Oxford University Press, 2014), and Central Asia 2050: Unleashing the Region’s Potential (Sage, 2016).

Johannes Linn is a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution, Distinguished Resident Scholar of the Emerging Markets Forum, and Senior Advisor at the Results for Development Institute (R4D).

Mr. Linn received his training as an economist at Oxford University, England (BA, 1968), and at Cornell University, USA (PhD, 1973). He joined the World Bank in 1973, where for nine years he worked in the Bank’s research wing on issues of urban development policy. Based on his research, he published two books: Cities in Developing World: Policies for Their Equitable and Efficient Growth (Oxford University Press, 1983) and (with Roy Bahl) Urban Public Finance in Developing Countries (Oxford University Press, 1992). Subsequently he served as country economist and economic advisor in the Bank’s East Asia Regional Staff. In 1988, he published, with Amarendra Bhattacharya, a study entitled “Trade and Industrial Policy in the Developing Countries of East Asia” (World Bank Discussion Paper No. 27). In 1987/88, Mr. Linn was Staff Director of World Development Report 1988 (Oxford University Press, 1988), which dealt principally with issues of public finance in development. Between 1988 and 1991, he served as Senior Economic Advisor in the Bank’s Development Economics Staff, as the Director of its International Economics Department and as Director of its Country Economics Department.

In 1991, Mr. Linn was appointed the World Bank’s Vice President for Financial Policy and Resource Mobilization, in charge of overall financial policies and prudential management of the World Bank (IBRD and IDA) and of mobilizing capital resources for IBRD as well as donor resources for IDA and for the Global Environment Facility (GEF). From January 1996 through September 2003, Mr. Linn served as the Bank’s Vice President for Europe and Central Asia (ECA). A collection of his speeches was published under the title Transition Years–Reflections on Economic Reform and Social Change in Europe and Central Asia (World Bank, 2004).

From September 2003 to June 2005, Mr. Linn was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. During 2004-5 Mr. Linn also served as Project Leader and Lead Author for the Central Asia Human Development Report (UNDP, 2005). From July 2005 to June 2010, Mr. Linn was Director of the Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings. Since July 2010, Mr. Linn is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at Brookings. In 2011 and 2014 he served as Chair of the 9th and 10th Replenishment Consultations of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Mr. Linn’s current research interests and recent publications are in the areas of development effectiveness (with a special focus on scaling up successful development interventions), global governance reform, urbanization, and regional cooperation (with a special focus on Central Asia). He co-edited and contributed to various recent books, including: Global Governance Reform: Breaking the Stalemate (Brookings, 2007), Central Asia and the Caucasus: At the Crossroads of Eurasia in the 21st Century (Sage, 2011), Getting to Scale: How to Bring Development Solutions to Millions of Poor People (Brookings Press 2013), Financing Metropolitan Governments in Developing Countries (Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, 2013), Kazakhstan 2050: Toward a Modern Society for All (Oxford University Press, 2014), and Central Asia 2050: Unleashing the Region’s Potential (Sage, 2016).